GUSTARD H10 High-current Discrete Class A output Stage Headphone Amplifier
Jan 12, 2016 at 9:01 PM Post #4,113 of 5,552
Just got my CAVALLI LC and did a brief comparison with H10 (burson V5 embedded).
my source is Calyx 192 DAC, balanced signals to LC unbalanced to H10, using ETHER as primary headphone.
and here’s the initial impression: H10 has better extension on both ends, bigger sound stage, more air, tighter bass, LC is smoother, now I understand why they are named Liquid.
if you want to relax and enjoy the music for long period, LC is the way to go, but if you really want to push the Ortho cans to their limits, H10 maybe the better choice IMHO.
 
Jan 12, 2016 at 9:11 PM Post #4,114 of 5,552
  Just got my CAVALLI LC and did a brief comparison with H10 (burson V5 embedded).
my source is Calyx 192 DAC, balanced signals to LC unbalanced to H10, using ETHER as primary headphone.
and here’s the initial impression: H10 has better extension on both ends, bigger sound stage, more air, tighter bass, LC is smoother, now I understand why they are named Liquid.
if you want to relax and enjoy the music for long period, LC is the way to go, but if you really want to push the Ortho cans to their limits, H10 maybe the better choice IMHO.

Thats good to hear! I was counting my pennies getting ready to possibly pick up a LC from the classifieds.
 
Jan 12, 2016 at 9:16 PM Post #4,115 of 5,552
  Just got my CAVALLI LC and did a brief comparison with H10 (burson V5 embedded).
my source is Calyx 192 DAC, balanced signals to LC unbalanced to H10, using ETHER as primary headphone.
and here’s the initial impression: H10 has better extension on both ends, bigger sound stage, more air, tighter bass, LC is smoother, now I understand why they are named Liquid.
if you want to relax and enjoy the music for long period, LC is the way to go, but if you really want to push the Ortho cans to their limits, H10 maybe the better choice IMHO.

 
Thanks a lot for sharing your impressions with us.
 
Jan 12, 2016 at 10:19 PM Post #4,116 of 5,552
  Just got my CAVALLI LC and did a brief comparison with H10 (burson V5 embedded).
my source is Calyx 192 DAC, balanced signals to LC unbalanced to H10, using ETHER as primary headphone.
and here’s the initial impression: H10 has better extension on both ends, bigger sound stage, more air, tighter bass, LC is smoother, now I understand why they are named Liquid.
if you want to relax and enjoy the music for long period, LC is the way to go, but if you really want to push the Ortho cans to their limits, H10 maybe the better choice IMHO.

 
rolleyes.gif
 Interesting!
 
Is your new Cavalli properly burnt in? Are you really comparing 'like with like'?
It may make no difference, but if the LC has the same kind of burn-in changes as some have found with the H10........
 
Jan 12, 2016 at 10:30 PM Post #4,117 of 5,552
  Just got my CAVALLI LC and did a brief comparison with H10 (burson V5 embedded).
 

 
You're going to need a few more hours on that LC.
 
 
My impressions of the two.
 
LC with about 150 hrs.  H10 with full Burson gen 4 somewhere around 1000 hrs.
 
CD rip ALAC 16/44.1 music.  Ibasso DX80 coax to Matrix mini-i,  balanced and SE to LC and H10.  Ether C
 
Sound stage, headroom, depth, height, width about the same.  LC is slightly upper mid forward while H10 is slightly upper bass forward.  This makes the LC sound a little more airy and fun but thinner with vocals and strings.  The warmer H10 has a richer vocal and string tone.  Both male and female voices sound fuller.  Vocal vibrato and string instrument vibrations and resonance is easily heard on the H10 but less noticeable on the LC.  Both are equally smooth and without grain.
I only had the LC for a week and could have kept it much longer but did not want to.  I love the sound of the LC but with the H10 there to A-B I like the sound of the H10 more.  The richer vocals and engaging strings to my ears is more pleasing than the flatter sounding LC.  That warmer H10 also has better bass slam and maybe tighter but that may be because of its warmer tone.  Like the LC sounding like it has more air because it has a brighter tone.  The Burson gen 4 and V5 might be two animals so that may affect the sound, then there's my weird ears so grain of salt and all that.
 

 

 
Jan 12, 2016 at 10:33 PM Post #4,118 of 5,552
   
You're going to need a few more hours on that LC.
 
 
My impressions of the two.
 
LC with about 150 hrs.  H10 with full Burson gen 4 somewhere around 1000 hrs.
 
CD rip ALAC 16/44.1 music.  Ibasso DX80 coax to Matrix mini-i,  balanced and SE to LC and H10.  Ether C
 
Sound stage, headroom, depth, height, width about the same.  LC is slightly upper mid forward while H10 is slightly upper bass forward.  This makes the LC sound a little more airy and fun but thinner with vocals and strings.  The warmer H10 has a richer vocal and string tone.  Both male and female voices sound fuller.  Vocal vibrato and string instrument vibrations and resonance is easily heard on the H10 but less noticeable on the LC.  Both are equally smooth and without grain.
I only had the LC for a week and could have kept it much longer but did not want to.  I love the sound of the LC but with the H10 there to A-B I like the sound of the H10 more.  The richer vocals and engaging strings to my ears is more pleasing than the flatter sounding LC.  That warmer H10 also has better bass slam and maybe tighter but that may be because of its warmer tone.  Like the LC sounding like it has more air because it has a brighter tone.  The Burson gen 4 and V5 might be two animals so that may affect the sound, then there's my weird ears so grain of salt and all that.
 

 

Is your H10 balanced?!?!?
 
Jan 12, 2016 at 10:37 PM Post #4,119 of 5,552
   
You're going to need a few more hours on that LC.
 
 
My impressions of the two.
 
LC with about 150 hrs.  H10 with full Burson gen 4 somewhere around 1000 hrs.
 
CD rip ALAC 16/44.1 music.  Ibasso DX80 coax to Matrix mini-i,  balanced and SE to LC and H10.  Ether C
 
Sound stage, headroom, depth, height, width about the same.  LC is slightly upper mid forward while H10 is slightly upper bass forward.  This makes the LC sound a little more airy and fun but thinner with vocals and strings.  The warmer H10 has a richer vocal and string tone.  Both male and female voices sound fuller.  Vocal vibrato and string instrument vibrations and resonance is easily heard on the H10 but less noticeable on the LC.  Both are equally smooth and without grain.
I only had the LC for a week and could have kept it much longer but did not want to.  I love the sound of the LC but with the H10 there to A-B I like the sound of the H10 more.  The richer vocals and engaging strings to my ears is more pleasing than the flatter sounding LC.  That warmer H10 also has better bass slam and maybe tighter but that may be because of its warmer tone.  Like the LC sounding like it has more air because it has a brighter tone.  The Burson gen 4 and V5 might be two animals so that may affect the sound, then there's my weird ears so grain of salt and all that.
 

 

 
Would you please share some details about that extra phone jack on your H10? Who put it in? How? .....
 
Jan 12, 2016 at 11:27 PM Post #4,125 of 5,552
   
rolleyes.gif
 Interesting!
 
Is your new Cavalli properly burnt in? Are you really comparing 'like with like'?
It may make no difference, but if the LC has the same kind of burn-in changes as some have found with the H10........

the LC will have little to no burn-in in my experience.  I found the LC to be superior to the H10 in almost every aspect that the H10 has moved along to a new owner.  I only went as far as 897/823 opamp combo so cannot comment on how a full boat Burson setup would compare to the LC.  I found a bigger soundstage and an allover SQ improvement especially on the bottom end.  The LC is just more dynamic for me than the H10!  YMMV!
 

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